Avatar Advent Calendar
by Qian Mausumi
Summary: A series of cute SokkaAang drabbles, one for every day of the month of December up until Christmas. Fluff and more? Yes, it's an offbeat pairing, but don't let that stop you from reading!
1. December 1st: Drenched

**A/N - Qian:** Alright, so I know that not all of our readers are Christian (we're not), and that this pairing is a little off-beat, but Mausumi and I thought it'd be cute if we wrote a series of SokkaAang drabbles for the holiday season. We'd like to point out that the only reason we felt inclined to write a SokkaAang fic was because Aang grew out his hair this season (but then shaved it, damn it! He was so cute!). Although the title is "Avatar Advent Calendar" the shorts won't necessarily be Christmas related, but rather simple fluff-filled stories. So, for the next twenty-four days until Christmas, enjoy!

**Avatar Advent Calendar  
****-December First-  
**_Drenched_

"Ugh! Why can't I do this?!" Aang cried out as, for the third time, the water that he was bending splattered in all directions.

Sokka sat but a few metres away, watching idly as his friend stood ankle-deep in the water of a small, sparkling stream, diligently practicing his bending. The legs of the boy's pants were rolled up and his shirt was thrown carelessly in a heap on the nearby bank.

"I just can't get this move!" cried Aang, clearly frustrated by the situation. He turned around to face the tan-skinned boy. "What should I do?"

Sokka shrugged his shoulders and lay back in the grass contentedly. "Don't ask me. Ask Katara when she comes back from shopping." He closed his eyes and allowed the sweet smell of clean water and tender grass to wash over him.

Meanwhile, Aang frowned at his friend's unsatisfactory answer. This time he would do a waterbending move he was _sure_ he knew how to do. All he had to do was gather some water from the stream and . . .

_Splash!_

"Aagh!" shrieked Sokka, his voice cracking terribly on the lone note as he sat bolt upright, water dripping profusely from the entire expanse of his body. "A_aa_ng! Look at me! You got me all wet!" He stood up angrily and pointed an accusing finger at the offending boy.

"Well don't just stand there!" Sokka demanded as Aang doubled over in laughter. "If you want to practise your waterbending so much the least you can do is use it to get me _dry_ ."

"Okay, okay," said Aang, suppressing the last of his giggles. He lifted his arms and positioned his legs so that his weight was evenly distributed throughout his body. "One…two…three!"

Sokka experienced a rare moment of elation as he saw his friend extract a few droplets of water from his clothing before a wave of horror drowned that feeling completely. A stream of water from Aang's feet rushed towards him and drenched him further.

"Hey!" shouted Sokka, indignation practically spewing from the one syllable.

"I'm sorry!" Aang called out defensively, "It's a lot harder than Katara makes it look!"

"Well you'd better get me dry _somehow_, I mean, I could get a cold or something!" shot back Sokka as he shook his head to rid himself of the excess water stubbornly clinging to his hair.

"Hmm," said Aang as he scratched his head pensively. His eyes brightened quite visibly as an idea struck him. "I know! Watch this!" He took a deep breath and arched back as his lungs filled with air.

"Pfffffff!" A gust of wind swept over Sokka, causing him to lift his hand in order to cover his face from the fierce draft.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted over the wind.

As quickly as it had started, the current of air stopped and fell still. "I'm air-drying you off," replied Aang very matter-of-factly before he began to draw another breath.

"But now I'm wet _and_ cold," grumbled Sokka, shooting the other boy a slight glare.

Aang looked crestfallen for just a moment before he perked up again. "Wait, I have another idea! This one will definitely work!"

And with that, the boy took off running towards his friend at top speed.

"N-no, wait! Stop!" Sokka shouted in vain as he closed his eyes and shielded his face with his arms, bracing himself for the impending unpleasantness. Oh, this would _surely_ prolong his torture, thought the blue-eyed boy bitterly. He would be cold, and wet, and miserable, and—

Two thin but strong arms wrapped around his midsection.

Confused, Sokka let his arms drop a few inches and opened his eyes. Aang was hugging his torso tightly so that their bodies were pressed close. The side of the younger boy's head was nestled comfortably between Sokka's pectorals, and the most endearing expression of serenity graced his features.

"Aang, what—"

"I'll just keep you warm like this until you get dry."

Any lingering anger in the teenaged boy's mind evaporated instantly, replaced immediately by a rush of affection for Aang. Sokka slowly wrapped his arms around the other boy's back and bent his neck slightly so that his lips and nose tenderly nuzzled the head full of soft, black hair that was positioned flush against his fluttering heart.

"Sounds like a good idea."


	2. December 2nd: Sea Prune Stew

**A/N - Mausumi:** Just FYI we didn't want Aang to be too young so we've set all the drabbles two years into the future, so Aang is fourteen and Sokka is seventeen. Also, if you've reviewed before for a previous chapter, we request that you still review for future ones because each chapter is stand-alone and we'd like to know which one's you like or dislike the most and why. Thanks!

**Avatar Advent Calendar  
****-December Second-  
**_Sea Prune Stew_

_Ugh, sea prune stew_.

Aang eyed the water tribe delicacy with fervent loathing. How did Sokka expect him to eat this . . . this _nauseating_ dish? The young airbender stared into its murky depths and threw his friend a look of horror and revulsion. At this behaviour, Sokka raised an eyebrow. Obviously he didn't understand Aang's distaste for sea prune stew; after all, the tanned boy had practically grown up on the stuff.

"What's wrong, Aang?"

"You_know_I hate sea prune stew," Aang shot back, glaring at the other boy.

Shaking his head, Sokka replied, "Yeah, but it's good for you. It actually tastes pretty good, too." He ate another large spoonful of stew, then added through a mouthful of food, "_And_ it's vegetarian, you know."

The Avatar slumped in his chair, weakly prodding at the sea prunes floating in his bowl. "Well, I don't like them."

Swallowing, "You better eat it though, or else Katara's going to get mad at you," he paused. "Or, you know what, don't eat it. Katara's funny when she's angry," he said lightly.

_She did spend the whole day cooking this . . . _Guilt weighed on Aang's chest, causing him to slump further in his seat. "Ugh." Sokka smiled at the boy. Aang sure could be childish sometimes, but he supposed that was a little expected being only fourteen. Either way, Aang really needed to eat; they had a long day ahead of them and even Sokka wasn't so stupid as to go without a meal. He stared at the boy for a moment, eyeing his dejected posture, when he got an idea. The tanned boy's eyes rapidly flitted from the untouched spoon lying in the bowl of stew to the slight frown on his friend's face. Sokka bit his lip for a moment to suppress any outward signs of his mirth.

"Hey, Aang."

"Wha-_mmrpph!_" Aang's eyes grew to twice their normal size as his mouth was unwillingly invaded by a spoonful of sea prune stew.

"There!" Sokka stated triumphantly as he held the spoon immovably in the Avatar's mouth. "Now, you better—"_ he wouldn't_. Time moved in slow motion as he watched Aang reach for his napkin with one hand so he could expel the food from his mouth, and with the other hand, push away Sokka's arm so that the spoon would leave his mouth. Panicking at the thought of Katara's irrepressible wrath when she found out that her cooking went wasted and unappreciated, Sokka yanked the spoon from between his friend's lips and did the only thing he could think of to make Aang eat the food.

He kissed him.

Of course, as Sokka pressed his lips to Aang's, it didn't register as a _kiss_ per se, but merely a way to seal the other boy's mouth so that he would eat the godforsaken stew.

Or so the tanned boy told himself.

But somewhere, be it only in the deepest recesses of Sokka's mind, it registered that yes, he was in fact engaged in a fiery lip lock with his best friend. And, _yes_, that thought was definitely, yet inexplicably, pleasing.

Sokka pulled away with a loud _smack!_ just a moment after he felt Aang swallow the stew.

Biting his lip, his cheeks burning, Aang glanced up at Sokka, who looked back with a nervous expression.

The tanned boy opened his mouth to speak. "I'm sor—"

His words were cut short as Aang stole a quick kiss.

"Can I have some more stew?"


	3. December 3rd: Sacred Paints

**A/N – Qian:** So, I'm really pissed. got screwed up last night so we couldn't post December 3rd on December 3rd . . . ughhhhh. Well anyway . . . Mausumi wanted me to remind you all to review! We want nothing more than to improve our writing skills while pleasing our fans, so again, tell us what you like or don't let, or even a cute scene that you may want to see in later chapters.

**Avatar Advent Calendar  
****-December Third-  
**_Sacred Paints_

Aang frowned and exhaled loudly. Why was he the one who had to watch the campground while everyone else got to do their hearts' bidding? It just wasn't fair, he thought as he aimlessly smashed a rock with his foot. He was just so bored. Without his friends to entertain him, what was he supposed to do?

Aang fell backwards onto the grass and looked up at the sky for a few seconds before, in his restlessness, he sat up to look around for something to occupy him until his friends returned.

His eyes immediately fell upon Sokka's open bag. What sort of treasures lay inside, wondered Aang, his sentiments of respecting the other boy's privacy completely squashed by the curious feeling growing in his heart.

The young airbender began to rummage through his friend's bag. "Boomerang . . . map . . . compass—oh! Hey cool, paint!" With this discovery, Aang lay down on the ground and began to doodle on the back of their map of the Earth Kingdom, his pink tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. Doodle transformed into art as Aang furiously dabbed at the parchment with paint-covered hands. So absorbed in the creation he did not notice when a dark shadow loomed over his paper. Only when the paints were ripped from his hand did the Avatar look up.

"Hey, that's—"

"Mine, Aang." Sokka glared down at the younger boy who was still sprawled out on the ground. "Where'd you find these? This paint is only meant for sacred purposes! And you're what?" he grimaced, "Painting with them?" Sokka all but spat at his friend.

"I, um . . ." Aang paused unsure of how to continue. He hadn't realized that the paints were so precious to the Water Tribe boy. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know what they were so special. I just thought they were regular old paints." Then he added, face hot and holding the painting in an outstretched arm for Sokka to take, "Uhm . . . well, I made this anyway. For you, I guess." Blue irises eyed the parchment skeptically before their owner dutifully snatched it from Aang's hand. As if on cue, the airbender's cheeks reddened as he stared pointedly at the ground. All the while, he fervently told himself that his work had no artistic merit, and that it was simply something of no real consequence—the other boy would think nothing of it, he was sure. And yet, he couldn't quash the juvenile hope that maybe—just maybe the other boy would be moved by his work. Finally daring to observe Sokka's reaction, Aang looked up, and then visibly shrank in his place at the unascertainable expression that adorned the older boy's visage while he scrutinized Aang's hard work.

Sokka stared and stared. It was an inexplicably endearing painting of him and Aang . . . holding hands beneath a waterfall. Though, the tanned boy didn't know quite what to make of the painting. Part of him wanted to coo and "aw" at the image, yet another part only wanted to continue yelling at Aang for using his sacred war paints for such an unsacred task. So . . .

He did neither.

Without any warning or explanation, Sokka cast the picture aside and walked away.

Aang's heart sank, and he swallowed to make the hard, painful lump forming in throat go away. As the other boy left, however, Aang noticed another piece of parchment, this one folded carefully into eighths, lying on the ground. Giving Sokka's back a reproachful look, the Avatar unfolded the paper without a word.

_. . . What?_

Aang looked up at Sokka, amazed. In contrast to the melancholic attitude he had adopted just seconds ago, Aang now felt positively giddy with joy. Sokka! Sokka had done this painting, and with his own so-called sacred warrior face paints, no less! Painting in hand, Aang leapt high into the air, and when he descended, landed piggyback-style on Sokka's back. He thrust the picture in front of the blue-eyed teen's face, who had jumped horribly as he felt Aang's weight lower onto his shoulders, and who now blinked to see the picture clearly.

"You did this," the younger boy exclaimed into Sokka's ear,causing hot air to wash over the lobe, "And with your sacred paints used for only sacred purposes."

At that remark, Sokka pushed his friend off of his back and turned around to face him. "Have you even looked at the picture?" The water tribe boy leaned in closer towards Aang's face. "What it's showing _is_ sacred." Sokka had a hard, blazing look in his eye, as if daring the other boy to disagree.

But nothing of the sort happened.

After a second of confusion, Aang thrust his head forward so that his lips could meet Sokka's, their mouths clumsily captured by each other.

As the two wrapped their arms around each other, the wind picked up, causing the little scrap of parchment to flutter away to the bank of a nearby lake. A ripple in the water seized the paper, and nobody noticed as the image of one boy leaning down to kiss another over a bowl of stew was unwittingly washed away into the black depths of the lake.


End file.
